In these tough economic times, everyone is trying to find a way to stop the financial bleeding. The news industry is among one of the many that has had to make difficult choices to adapt to an increasingly digital age.
Perhaps one of the biggest changes in recent memory happened on May 24 when the Times-Picayune, New Orleans’ daily newspaper for over 175 years, announced that it would be switching to a three-day print format. In doing this, they hope to save money and provide more online content for their readership.
I know most of you are reading this saying, “Well, who cares?” While the switch does not directly affect this publication or even publications in this area, the move is shocking nonetheless and I think speaks volumes to the time we live in. So please stick with me and learn about the so-called “death of print.”
The move is reflective of our need for information at presumably the speed of light. With the Internet, information is only a mouse click away. So it seems to make sense that the Times-Picayune would do this, but I find that something gets lost in removing the physical side of the paper.
While I work at a paper and we value our print version, there is an increasing value in using online medium. This year in particular, we here at The Lion’s Roar have begun integrating social media and online as a larger part of what we do, but we have not eliminated our print version. Though the Times-Picayune has not eliminated its print version either, I feel like this move is the testing ground for an eventual switch to online only.
I tend to appreciate the fact the city of New Orleans is the entrepreneur in this area, but I think the move is premature. While I tend to believe online only is the way news media is heading, I do not think the time is now. News is about reaching the largest audience possible and by removing print editions, even only slightly, you are restricting your audience.
I’m sure for some of you printed news has a spot in your heart that you might not even recognize. Think about all those Sunday mornings when you would sit down and cut clippings from the newspaper. There is just something special and unique about print that allows you to have these experiences.
The next couple of years will be interesting in this regard. If this switch proves successful, the ramifications will be felt throughout the country. If it does not, New Orleans may very well find itself at the wrong end of a failed experiment.